Who would have thought foods that taste so good would also make the best deep conditioning treatments? The key to these great recipes is remembering that they are for your curls and not your stomach (at least until you have finished the recipe)! You’ll notice that these recipes have a lot of similar ingredients because these are what have worked the best for so many curlies thus far. Try them out and see which base product makes your hair feel the softest.

Sweet avocado

1 avocado

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Honey

Avocado is great for deep conditioning. It can also be used for a quick softening, conditioning, and moisturizing mask. The use of honey on hair is talked about everywhere. Honey by itself is not sufficient enough to provide the conditioning necessary, but when combined with other ingredients it can make your hair feel softer and smoother. Substitute this recipe for Darcy’s Botanicals Avocado & Honey Twisting Cream or Miss Jessie’s Curly Meringue.

Baby banana

Organic banana flavored baby food

EVOO

Honey

Banana is another great kitchen item that can help give you that soft hair you have been wanting. The key to this recipe is using banana baby food instead of using an actual banana. If you do not blend well enough or use a rice strainer to sift the chunks, then it can leave pieces of banana throughout your hair. You would then have to shampoo and condition your hair several times to get them out and that would defeat the purpose! When you use the baby food it is already strained and liquefied so it can mix easily as well as still provide you with a great conditioner. Substitute this recipe forMYHoneyChild Banana Crème Conditioner or Curl Junkie Hibiscus & Banana Deep Fix Moisturizing Conditioner.

Cucumber and egg

1/2 cucumber

1 egg

1/2 an eggshell's worth of extra-virgin olive oil

Cucumber is a natural refresher so it is no wonder that a great treatment would include it. It is a great finishing touch to a deep conditioning treatment. Eggs are also great to give your hair a great smooth finish. An important thing to remember when using this treatment is no heat (including hot water)! The heat can literally cook the egg into your hair which can lead to a disaster. Your hair will also smell like cooked eggs, which is unpleasant. Substitute this recipe for Wen Lavender Cleansing Conditioner or Aubrey Organics Sea Buckthorn Leave-In Conditioner.

Fruit salad

1/2 banana

1/4 avocado

1/4 cantaloupe

1 tbsp. yogurt

Any oil

You might be hungriest after making this one so leave some fruit aside for you to enjoy while the treatment goes to work! The fruits in this treatment all work great together to give you soft hair that also will smell just as great. If you are worried about using the banana, substitute the banana baby food so you can be sure to avoid the chunks. If you have no fear of the actual banana, be sure to blend it well and strain it before mixing it with the other items. This recipe will make your hair smell fantastic and it will provide you with a great, healthy snack. Substitute this recipe forMYHoneyChild Olive You Deep Conditioner.

This article was originally published July 2010 and has been updated for grammar and clarity.

Great post, very informative. I've been using Pro Naturals Moroccan Argan Oil System to tackle breakages and split ends and so far it has worked really well to protect and repair my hair. I recommend it!

I read about the aloe vera and knew I had some so I decided to try it. Mine isn't organic or anything and although it says pure 100 percent aloe vera there are a few other ingredients in it that I wasn't sure about so I tried it cautiously by using just a drop on my fingertips with a teeny bit of water to dilute it and put it though a dry curl on top and it worked great. It smoothed out the bit of friz and took away the parched look my 3b curls often have. Then I added some to my spray water bottle and used it as a spritz. I love it and will contine to do this. I also tried the extra virgin olive oil on the bottom of my ends at the nape of my neck and it worked very well also.

I dont think there are amounts on the recipes because it'll vary from person to person. Like I whould only have to use 1 tbsp of oil while my frenid whould have to use a 1/4 of a cup. and the genral rule for d.i.y. hairmasks once it's smooth put it on.